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South Korea Nominates First Female Prime Minister

SEOUL, March 24 Â A feminist legislator imprisoned under South Korea's former military dictatorship was nominated today as the country's first female prime minister, President Roh Moo Hyun's office said.

Han Myeong Sook, a two-term lawmaker with the governing Uri Party, was the first woman designated for the No. 2 job since another female nominee was rejected by Parliament in 2002.

Under the Constitution, the president's choice for prime minister is subject to parliamentary approval. The prime minister is largely a ceremonial job, although the minister coordinates many domestic affairs for the president.

Ms. Han, 62, has championed women's rights and liberal political ideas. In 2004, she helped author a bill aimed at abolishing the National Security Law, South Korea's anti-communist statute that liberal politicians have condemned as undemocratic. The bill was not enacted because of conservative resistance.

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Unlike Mr. Lee, who inflamed opposition with his standoffish and partisan manners, Ms. Han exudes a genial demeanor, which Mr. Roh has appreciated. He faces tough parliamentary negotiations as he presses economic reforms and a free-trade agreement with Washington.

Mr. Roh's office said it expected Ms. Han to show a "soft leadership."

Ms. Han was imprisoned from 1979 to 1981 on charges of teaching pro-Communist ideas to workers, farmers and low-income women. In 2001, a government committee ruled that the former military government's case was based on confessions elicited through torture.

After leading women's groups, Ms. Han entered Parliament in 2000. She became the inaugural minister of gender equality in 2001. She later served as environment minister.